Almost There

If you've been following Confederate Yankee for a while, you might be familiar with a project called Operation Enduring Service that I got quite interested in after my brother introduced me to it back in early November.

The concept is one of those beautiful synergies where someone combines existing and emerging technologies in new and unexpected ways. The idea was simple: take mothballed ships from the U.S. Navy's reserve fleets, and upgrade them to provide support in the wake of disasters.

USNS San Diego (T-AFS-6), an O.E.S. candidate

What kind of support could just one of these ships provide?

They could:

• Service a disaster area of thousands of square miles (up to 100 miles inland) with minimal (if any) outside support.
• Provide complete berthing facilities for hundreds of emergency responders "on scene" at a disaster site.
• Fully integrated communications system serving all local, state, and federal agencies, as well as cell phone coverage and military band frequencies--allowing for seamless communications between all disaster scene personnel, no matter what radio frequency or cell phone is being used.
• Daily provide over 100 tons of bagged and palletized ice to the disaster region.
• Daily generate, bottle, and palletize up to tens of thousands of gallons of fresh water.
• Provide refueling station and loading platform for helicopters operating in the disaster area.
• Carry thousands of tons of food and supplies for a disaster area.

As simple and important as this idea is, the project has faced an uphill battle against governmental red tape and congressional inertia (as Newton noted, a body at rest tends to stay at rest) from the very beginning.

That battle could end as early as today.

Stay tuned for details…